PLUS: Pence reacts to release of FBI interview notes: More evidence that Clinton is the “most dishonest candidate” since Nixon
SEPT. 3, 2016 – In an exclusive one-on-one interview today, Republican vice presidential nominee Gov. Mike Pence told “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd: “Donald Trump and I are both going to release our tax returns. I’ll release mine in the next week.”
At the Ohio State football kickoff game in Columbus, Ohio, the Indiana governor also reacted to the release of the FBI’s notes from their interview with Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton about her use of a private email server while she was Secretary of State: “What’s evident from all of the revelations over the last several weeks is that Hillary Clinton operated in such a way to keep her emails, and particularly her interactions while Secretary of State with the Clinton Foundation, out of the public reach, out of public accountability.”
Below is the transcript of this exclusive interview preview; watch the exchange here: http://nbcnews.to/2cyfuvc.
Tune in to tomorrow’s “Meet the Press with Chuck Todd” for more from Gov. Pence as well as a Sunday exclusive interview with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), former Democratic presidential candidate.
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CHUCK TODD: Governor, what was your reaction to the FBI notes that got released?
MIKE PENCE: Well it’s just more evidence that Hillary Clinton is the most dishonest candidate for president of the United States since Richard Nixon.
CHUCK TODD: That’s a tough charge.
MIKE PENCE: It is, it is a tough charge, Chuck. But, come on.
CHUCK TODD: If she — I’ll just ask you this, though: If she were as dishonest as you claim then why isn’t the FBI prosecuting her?
MIKE PENCE: Hillary Clinton what’s, what — what’s evident from the notes, what’s evident from all of the revelations over the last several weeks is that Hillary Clinton operated in such a way to keep her emails, and particularly her interactions while Secretary of State with the Clinton Foundation, out of the public reach, out of public accountability;
MIKE PENCE:…and with regard to classified information she either knew or should’ve known that she was placing classified information in a way that exposed it to being hacked and being made available in the public domain even to enemies of this country. So I really do believe that all of these revelations over the last several weeks and now the notes;
MIKE PENCE: …that we find out there was a frantic effort by her staffers to wipe her servers with high tech technology…
CHUCK TODD: Now, there’s a reason we know all this stuff….
MIKE PENCE: …after the New York Times revealed that she had a private server. I think it all just — it all truly does disqualify her from serving as president of the United States.
CHUCK TODD: Would you guys have higher ground on this issue, on this whole idea of transparency and her accountability if you guys were as transparent? Releasing the tax returns, him releasing his tax returns. Whatever you want to say about the Clintons, we know this because the information has either been dragged out of them or it’s been disclosed. We don’t have any disclosures. We don’t have your tax returns yet.
MIKE PENCE: Donald Trump and I are both going to release our tax returns. I’ll release mine in the next week;
MIKE PENCE: …Donald Trump will be releasing his tax returns at the completion of an audit. But the issue here is not…
CHUCK TODD: But that won’t be before the election?
MIKE PENCE: But the issue here is, well we’ll see.
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